I bake a lot of things for various activities at my church, and through this, I have become aware that there are A LOT of people who are allergic to A LOT of different things. Honestly, I have been pretty oblivious to this in my personal life. I can’t think of a single food allergy of anyone in my immediate family growing up, and I am not aware of any with my own kids.

Being allergic to foods is foreign to me, so I was kind of shocked last fall when many of the kids at our All Saints Carnival could not eat the prizes in the cake walk. I was aware of and somewhat prepared for the gluten allergies; I made caramel corn and Monster Munch for them, but I had no idea so many people are allergic to eggs. EGGS? I don’t know what I would do if my family members were allergic to eggs. They are a staple in my house. I buy the big 5 dozen mega pack about every week and a half. I use quite a few for baking, but we also eat them almost daily–omelets, hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs, scrambled in breakfast burritos, fried egg sandwiches, and on it goes.

Anyway, this recipe for Apple Streusel Bars was not designed to be egg-free–I found out accidentally that it works just fine without the eggs–but it has become a favorite of some of the people with egg allergies at my church. And even if you have no allergies or aversions to eggs whatsoever, it is a good recipe. It is kind of like a giant Dutch apple pie. A sweet crust topped with spiced apples and then drizzled with an almond extract and powdered sugar glaze. Delish.

I have served this as a breakfast pastry at our church’s Pinewood Derby, and I have served it as a dessert. It goes over wonderfully whenever you want to serve it.

Apple Streusel Bars

*As with many recipes, I usually double this one and make it on a half-sheet baking pan. That is what is pictured in this post. The recipe below is for a 9 x 13 pan.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• optional: 1 egg, beaten

For the apple filling:

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups (about 3 medium) peeled, cored, sliced apples (I always use mostly Granny Smith mixed with either Gala, Braeburn, or Fuji)

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• About 1 and 1/2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. Prepare your apples. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

   

2. Make the crust by mixing flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender until you have pea-sized crumbles. If desired, mix in a beaten egg. (I accidentally left out the egg once, and it turned out fine. Now, I intentionally make this without the egg so that those with egg allergies can enjoy it too. Even without the egg, the crust presses together just fine and holds up after baking.)
3. Pat about 2/3 of the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Reserve the rest of the crumbs for the topping.

   

4. Make the apple filling by combining flour, sugar, and cinnamon and then tossing with the apples until apples are coated.
5. Spread the spiced apples evenly over the prepared crust in the baking pan. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top of the apple layer.

   

   

6. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely.
7. Make the glaze in a small bowl or cup by whisking together the powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency.
8. Scoop the glaze into a zip top bag that has been fitted over a cup. Once the glaze is all in the bag and the top is zipped, snip a small corner off the bag with a pair of scissors and drizzle the glaze over the cooled bars. Cut into squares and serve.

   

   

   

   

Source: Slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

Share This:

Category: Bars, Breakfast, Desserts, Fall food Tags: apple streusel bars, breakfast, dessert, egg-free

← Candy Corn Cupcakes

Caramel Corn →